The future of Bluetooth technology has been assured for a number of years now, secured by its prevalence in handsets and driven by the market for enabled headsets. However, the landscape is changing. Over the last 18 months, the Bluetooth portfolio has evolved from what is generally considered “core Bluetooth technology” to include a high speed version, and an ultra low power version (formerly Wibree).

These changes are seen by many as revolutionary rather than evolutionary, and this is leading companies that supply Bluetooth ICs and end-equipment to re-evaluate their business models to ensure that their strategy is aligned with the opportunities presented by these new versions of Bluetooth technology. For example, many new applications for Bluetooth technology have emerged with the release of the high speed and low power variants, while further growth and cost optimisation can be achieved by utilising combination ICs, which combine Bluetooth with other wireless technologies in a single chip.

These dynamic changes have led the Conference Division of IMS Research to organise two conferences that discuss and explore the challenges and opportunities presented by the evolving Bluetooth technology. The first of these, the “Bluetooth Evolution Conference”, will be hosted jointly with the Bluetooth SIG in London from 31st October to 2nd November, 2007. This international event will bring together senior industry executives from all parts of the value-chain together with over 30 speakers, to explore the commercial and technical impact of both high speed and low power Bluetooth technology. The keynote speeches, panel debates, networking sessions and case studies will be supplemented by a technical training workshop on low power Bluetooth technology.Then, on 4th and 5th December 2007, the company will host the Wireless Coexistence Summit in San Jose, California. This event will focus on the latest trends in producing ICs that incorporate multiple wireless technologies. This will allow senior engineering and business managers from IC vendors and end-equipment manufacturers to take advantage of the highly interactive agenda to discuss the issues and opportunities that these combination ICs present. For full details and online registration for these events please visit www.imsconferences.com/bluetooth.

If you would like an interview with an expert in this area, please contact Alison Bogle, Marketing Manager, at
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or +1 412-441-1888.